


The Extra Mile

by FujurPreux



Category: Dresden Files - Butcher
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-04-15
Updated: 2010-04-15
Packaged: 2017-10-08 23:06:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/80437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FujurPreux/pseuds/FujurPreux
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Murphy and Thomas go the extra mile to ensure a bit of harsh news don't affect Harry too much. Spoilers for <em>Blood Rites.</em></p>
            </blockquote>





	The Extra Mile

Murphy was the one to find out about it first, and she went down to warn Thomas as soon as she could.

Those news would be a little bit too harsh on Harry, Thomas realized, so he had to find out a way to deliver them as painlessly as possible. "I'll bake some cookies," he declared.

"Is it okay if I stay around when you tell him?" Murphy asked.

"Would you hold his hand?" Thomas replied.

"Actually, I just want to see the look on his face."

"Fair enough. I'll bake the cookies and do the hand holding as well." Thomas went to the kitchen and began gathering the ingredients as Murphy browsed through Harry's books.

~*~

Later in the afternoon, Harry got home. He looked a little tired, but the sleepy face went away when he saw Thomas wearing an apron and carrying a bowl full of cookies. Murphy was on the couch reading a science-fiction short-story collection, with Mouse at her feet and Mister on her lap.

"Harry!" Thomas said, a wide smile on his face as he placed the bowl on a small table next to the couch. "Right on cue! They just came out from the oven!"

"And these are awful," Murphy said, throwing the book at Harry's general direction. "Do you have one that's not plagued with clichés?"

Harry caught the book before it hit him. "They were on a discount," he replied without missing a beat.

Thomas smiled with one of his most charming smiles (which was very, very charming) and said, "Now, now, Murphy. What did we say about making this a friendly, book-tossing-free environment?"

"We didn't say anything about calling out bad taste," Murphy said.

Thomas raised his index finger. "That's an understatement given the subject matter."

Murphy's mouth formed an 'o'. "Oh, right."

"Does anyone plan to tell me what's going on, people?" Harry asked.

"Of course we do!" Thomas said.

"Or Thomas thought, anyway. I'm just here for moral support." Murphy stood up and gestured the spot on the couch she'd left. "Sit down, Harry."

Harry looked at Thomas and then at Murphy back and forth for a few times before complying. "This better be good."

"Yes, it is," Murphy said.

"No, it isn't," Thomas said at the same time.

Both of them exchanged looks before Thomas sat down next to Harry to hold his hand. "Murphy wasn't gonna," he explained.

Harry took his hand back and rubbed his face. He noticed Murphy nibbling on a cookie. "Well, what is it?" he asked. "Make it quick. I'm sorta tired and--"

"Harry," Thomas interrupted, dead serious, "you'll never get anywhere by making it quick."

Murphy snorted.

Harry glared.

"Fine, fine!" Thomas said. "Here it goes. Now you'll appreciate our efforts to soften the blow."

"Thomas..."

"The last Beetle has been built and, after that, there'll be no more."

A moment of silence.

"What?"

Thomas held Harry's hand again. "But don't worry, little brother of mine, for I, unlike the Beetle, will remain by your side."

"What?" Harry repeated.

"There's a limited supply of spare parts for your car in the world now, Dresden," Murphy said. "So you better start taking better care of it."

"What she said," Thomas agreed.

"You two mounted all of this just to tell me that?" Harry said.

"You can't say we don't love you," Thomas beamed, placing a cookie in Harry's mouth.

"No, I guess I can't," Harry said after chewing and swallowing the cookie.

Thomas patted his back and fed him another cookie. Murphy, on the other hand, ate cookie after cookie probably to keep her from laughing.

No, there was no way for Harry to say that his brother and his best friend didn't care.

**Author's Note:**

> [The last Volkswagen Beetle was built in July, 2003,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Beetle#Decline) so I'm playing with the time lines.   
> The plot bunny wouldn't leave me alone. ;_;


End file.
